Woah...April's gone.

Hey (this is Jeff)! What happened to April? It's been a month since our last post. I'll take the blame though -- I've been working some crazy hours (I know what you're thinking, and no, it had nothing to do with taxes -- I'm not that kind of accountant -- I audit financial statements), which means Julie had mommy duty day in day out with hardly a break. There were a few days in there where I left for work in the morning before anyone woke up, and didn't get back home until the kids were asleep. Not fun. Tonight I got home at around 8:30, which was in time to help Ethan get the wiggles out before going to bed.

He's growing up quickly! Since I missed the month of April, he sat down with me tonight before bed and basically read me a book from start to finish without actually knowing how to read. It's fun to hear him talk. And, Sienna! What a little doll -- she's crawling around so quickly now.

Julie is awesome too! I couldn't have married a better woman. I was getting busy-season hair -- that's what happens to my head when I don't have time to get it cut for 3 months (I also get busy season toenails). Ethan was getting busy-season hair too, so Julie gave us both a nice trimming recently, and we're a handsome daddy and son again.

Daddy's boy

It's no secret in our house that Ethan's a Daddy's boy. I caught a picture of him waiting at the top of the stairs for Daddy to come home.






Ethan also loves to 'help' (I'm using that term very loosely) Daddy with any projects around the house. So here is our little man with his "Bob the Builder" tool belt and diaper, helping Dad and Grandpa Mardis on a home project.






When my parents come to spend time with us, it's a working vacation for them and a relaxing vacation for me! Notice in this picture I'm not holding a child! I wish they were closer, but I think I would wear them out! I love their company while Ethan and Sienna love Grandma and Grandpa playing with them. Before they came, I told Ethan that Grandma and Grandpa were coming in an airplane to see him. Now, to Ethan, every airplane up in the sky has Grandma and Grandpa in it.

Buster, Bud, Little Buddy...

Buster is a nickname that definitely suits our little guy. Behind that winning smile, he's usually scheming some great plan which involves pushing a chair over to the kitchen counter, climbing up to the cabinets, and making some wild concoction on the counter all under the guise of "I'm cooking wif Mom" (except the fact that I'm not in the room). Or perhaps he's unscrewing the tops of the Costco shampoo bottles and then throwing the bottles down the stairs and watching with glee each bounce shoot more shampoo onto the walls and carpet. You get the picture. These usually happen when I do something selfish like go to the bathroom, or help Sienna fall asleep. But as the other mothers understand, I still absolutely adore my little guy. Somehow in my (sleep-deprived) mind this is evidence of how smart and clever he is. By the way, I also get all the hugs and kisses a mommy could ever want.

Lady Bug, Sweet Pea, Little Lady...

Some of the nicknames that I'm sure will embarrass her in later years. Sienna is such a tender and happy little gal. Now that she's crawling, pulling herself up, and climbing up the stairs, there's no stopping her. She's fast and fearless. Ethan is still the lovable little rascal he's always been. He's beginning to relish the role of 'big brother'. When she cries, I'll often hear him say, "It okay, feetheart, it okay..." He'll also call her "feetie-pie." Then again, he also tries to ride her like a horse when she's crawling around - which she's not too fond of.
What can I say, I'm a proud mommy who adores her kids. I love to take pictures of them; they grow up so fast. I'm so glad I get to cherish every moment of their childhood.

Brenna's Baptism

We are thankful to our family for being so organized to have Brenna's baptism and confirmation, Riley's Aaronic Priesthood ordination (and passing the Sacrament for the first time) as well as Amelie's and Maya's baby blessings all in one weekend. All are events we wouldn't want to miss, but driving over to Spokane that many times would sure wear us out! We are so happy for all of you. These pictures are from Brenna's baptism. Also, I would like to publicly thank Pete, for helping me to keep Ethan under control during the baptism. Ethan generally ignores me, but listens well to 'big guys'.

Par-tay!

So we've been to a few little toddler parties recently - which are always a blast. I enjoy visiting with other moms while giving Ethan a chance to get out and practice his caveman-like social skills.The first two pictures are from a community Easter Egg Hunt that also had giant inflatable toys. Jeff and I have come to love anything that helps Ethan wear out all his energy. Do they sell giant gerbil wheels for toddlers? Anyway, here are a few pics.

























At this birthday party for a nursery friend, one of the main events was an Elmo Pinata. A few of the kids were hesitant at first to hit Elmo; they stood around looking confused. Ethan warmed up to the idea quickly, though, and gave a few good blows to the good ol' Sesame Street friend. He even fled the scene, and came back with a garden stake and attempted to spear Elmo. That's my boy.

The Fire Station

For a friend's birthday party, Ethan got to take a tour of a fire station and of, course, a fire engine. The firemen who gave the tour were probably a little more used to giving tours to school aged children, not two-year-olds who try to lick the tires and push buttons. Ethan loved climbing in a real fire truck. While we were there, an emergency call came in and we saw the firemen put on their gear, hop on the fire truck and take off, sirens and all. When I took the group picture, I said, "Smile!" The funny part was, Ethan was so excited about wearing a fireman hat and standing next to a fireman, Ethan couldn't take his eyes off him and just smiled at him - up close! The fireman obviously thought it was pretty funny, so when I snapped the next picture, he was looking at Ethan smiling at me. Finally I got everyone to look at me in the third picture. Incidentally, we didn't get to see firemen slide down a fire pole; they didn't have one. If they did, I'm sure all of the moms would have asked if we could slide down it.

Space Needle Pictures

Jeff and I met on 02/02/02, so every year, we do something fun on Feb 2nd. This year, we went to the Space Needle and afterwards had lunch at a Greek restaurant. Ethan had a lot of fun at the "pace needle" and continues to talk about it. I had plenty of warm snuggle time with Sienna in the carrier.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

Well, here's the explanation in less than 1,000 words. We had already taken quite a few pictures and Sienna was getting squirmy. Ethan already sat through two hours of our LDS Stake Conference, and wanted to expend all of his couped up energy. Jeff had been chasing him around trying to get him to be still for only a few seconds to take a picture, but Ethan has having way too much fun throwing rocks. Jeff finally caught him, and the camera took the picture, Ethan still clutching his rock and Jeff looking somewhat frustrated. Well, another realistic family photo.

Sienna's Photoshoot

So, I realized the past three posts are only pictures of Ethan - we do take pictures of Sienna too - we promise! Here are a few of our little angel.

This picture made Jeff and I laugh because we first thought it was a perfect picture until we saw Sienna's scrunched up face and a big blob of spit running down my arm. Well, it was realistic anyway.

She is such a dream of a baby. She is so content and has such a peaceful, happy disposition. She is such a blessing in our family. I can't seem to get enough of her. I can't even seem to get frustrated with her, even when she wakes up in the middle of the night (which she often does). I'm just so happy to hold her in my arms and just love her. I look at Ethan and realize how fast these kids grow up and I just want to soak up Sienna's time as a baby and enjoy them while they are here.
This is a picture of Ethan singing "I am a Child of God" to Sienna - she is obviously enjoying big brother's attention.























Peaches? Not so much.

Ethan goes GQ

One Sunday morning, Ethan was dressed up and acting strangely cooperative, so we took a few pictures of our handsome little dude. By the way, yes, that is gift wrapping ribbon around his neck. He really wanted to wear a tie (just like daddy) and that was the best we could do. He seemed to like it, although in case you're wondering, we didn't let him wear it to church.

Incidentally, he's become quite a little flirt. I think he enjoys my calling with the YW more than I do. Every week he's surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls who shower him with hugs, kisses and candy. He recently kissed a little 3 year old girl in our ward right on the lips.

Bubble Bath

What kid doesn't love a bubble bath? Ethan's no exception. Here are a few snap shots from Ethan's fun in the suds.

Christmas Morning

This was such a fun Christmas with Ethan. He's 2 and a half, so he is old enough to look forward to opening presents and some of the other things that make Christmas special. We had so much fun picking out a few presents for him. We bought him a mat that rolls out on the floor that is a big picture of a city which he can drive his cars on. We also got him a basketball hoop for his room. We try to stay away from huge toys, but we broke our own rule when we imagined how much fun Ethan would have with it. As you can tell from the picture, he was pretty happy about it.

What made us even happier, was how much he enjoyed playing with a nativity set my parents got for him last year. He carefully set it up and brought each of the figurines forward to see "baby Jesus in the manger." We read the scriptures with him on Christmas Day and helped him act out the Nativity story. He continued playing with it everyday until we packed it up with the Christmas stuff. I honestly believe that there are few greater joys in life than seeing your children learn the gospel. A few months ago, Ethan and I were playing and looked up at me and clearly said, "Jesus loves me." Surprised, I said "That's right, Ethan! Jesus loves you!" We have a few gospel related books for young children which we read to him often and I sometimes wonder how much of it sinks in. I guess more than I realize. He sometimes sings "I am a Child of God" and other Primary hymns to Sienna, and he can pray on his own. In one prayer, he asked Heavenly Father to bless his stuffed animal "snake". Okay, I realize I could go on and on about how wonderful I think Ethan is. Anyway, all of us had a great Christmas.

Christmas Eve

We spent a wonderful Christmas Eve with the Horsley's. We always love getting together with them and Ethan especially did this time. He particularly chased Issac around a lot, and Issac, in turn tickled him! It's so much fun seeing the cousins enjoy each other. We also we able to show off our darling Sienna. All of the boys enjoyed holding her (except for Austin - but he certainly made a really cute scrunched up face while he was sitting next to her). We think she liked her first Christmas (I gave her some fudge - don't tell!).

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Toddler Style

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. This was very special for us for a number of reasons. First, Ethan is old enough to understand a little more about Christmas, baby Jesus in a manger, opening presents on Christmas morning, and of course, Santa. Second, this is Sienna's first Christmas, and she is truly an angel. Third, Jeff had a wonderful two weeks off work - I was in heaven!

Ethan was very excited to help decorate the tree, so we opened up the box of tree trimmings and let him have at it (supervised of course). He carefully and painstakingly grouped a majority of the red balls on one spot on the tree (we later redistributed them). I love how his little mind works.